MIAMI – The ULM men's basketball team (3-7) hits the road for the nonconference finale, facing the Miami Hurricanes (8-2) on Saturday (Dec. 13). Tipoff against the Hurricanes is scheduled for 11 a.m. CT in Miami.
SERIES HISTORY –
The Warhawks will take on the Hurricanes for the second time in program history. The lone meeting between the two teams was November 23, 2003, a neutral site game in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miami outscored ULM 78-60 in the game, as they look to continue the unbeaten streak in ULM's first trip to Miami.
SCOUTING THE HURRICANES –
Miami sits at 8-2 on the season, claiming notable wins over Elon, Georgetown, Ole Miss and Southern Miss under first-year head coach Jai Lucas. Most recently, the Hurricanes extended to a three-game win streak with a 88-64 victory over Sun Belt opponent Southern Miss. Malik Reneau, an Indiana transfer, leads the team with a scoring average of 20.2 points per game. Reneau was also named to the Karl Malone Award Preseason Watchlist, for the top power forward in the country. TCU transfer Ernest Udeh Jr. was named to the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award Preseason Watchlist, for the top center in the country. The center averages 8.9 rebounds and has 11 blocks on the season thus far.
ULM VS. P4 –
The last Power Four opponent ULM defeated was Iowa in 2007, an overtime win of 72-67. The last time the Warhawks saw a Power Five opponent was Ole Miss earlier this season. ULM has not faced an ACC opponent since 2012, when the Warhawks traveled to face Florida State.
FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE –
The Warhawks have attempted double-digit free throws in nine of their 10 contests, attempting a whopping 41 free throws against Arkansas Baptist on December 9, making 31. Krystian Lewis led the charge, hitting 15 of his 18 free throws. Lewis also collected double-digit free throws against Mississippi Valley State (Dec. 3), going 12-13 from the line. Lavell Brodnex hit a perfect 8-8 from the line against the Buffaloes last game.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES –
Lavell Brodnex has been leading the charge in rebounding since his debut for ULM on November 13 against HCU. Brodnex has scored in double figures four times and posted double-digit boards three times, leading to a double-double. Brodnex is the only Warhawk this season to register a double-double. He is currently on a streak of double-doubles, logging one against SFA (Dec. 7) and another (22 points, 18 rebounds) against Arkansas Baptist (Dec. 9).
LEADING THE TEAM –
MJ Russell leads the pack in scoring, averaging 17.4 points, placing him third in the Sun Belt. He also leads the team in three-point percentage (.370) and blocks (1.3). Krystian Lewis averages 3.2 assists, 1.7 steals and 34.8 minutes a game to lead the team. Lavell Brodnex has collected 64 rebounds across seven games, averaging 9.1 to lead the Warhawks, also leading in field goal percentage with .508.
MILESTONE MARKERS –
A handful of Warhawks have crossed milestones in the opening eight games of the 2025-26 season. Against HCU, Renars Sondors broke the 100-point milestone, since then reaching 152 career points. Just a game later, ULM scoring leader MJ Russell reach his own 100-point mark. Russell went on to reach the 200-point benchmark against Arkansas Baptist (Dec. 9). Micah Caster sought out that 100-point mark at ETSU, now at 101 on his career. Krystian Lewis broke the century mark against Mississippi Valley State, sitting at 142 career points.
FOLLOW THE WARHAWKS –
Saturday's game will be available on KLIP 105.3 with Mike Hammett on the call. Streaming will also be available for the game on ACCNX. Links to live stats for all games, when available, can be found at ULMWarhawks.com. Navigate to the men's basketball schedule page and select that day's opponent.
NEXT UP –
The Warhawks will open conference play next week, hosting the South Alabama Jaguars in Fant-Ewing Coliseum. Tip-off for the first Sun Belt game of the season is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday (Dec. 17).
